Fingerboards Mineral Sands Project Cultural Heritage Existing Conditions and Impact Assessment 1
EES / CHMP EES • An Environment Effects Statement (EES) is required for the Fingerboards Mineral Sands Project under s 3 of the Environment Effects Act 1978 Existing Conditions • The draft evaluation objective for cultural heritage is ‘to avoid or minimise Assessment effects on Aboriginal and non- Aboriginal cultural heritage.’ Study Area / Geographic Region • Key objectives of the Cultural Heritage Technical Report component of the Existing Conditions EES are to: Preliminary Predictive Model Site Survey o Describe the study method Subsurface testing o Identify the location and type of existing Aboriginal and historical Updated Predictive Model cultural heritage values in and near the study area Summary o Characterise the locations and type of potential Aboriginal and historical cultural heritage values in the study area o Identify key potential issues and impacts and assess the risk of impacts to Aboriginal and historical cultural heritage by the construction, operation and decommissioning of the project o Propose avoidance, mitigation and management measures to reduce the risk of impacts associated with the construction, operation and decommissioning of the project 2
EES / CHMP CHMP • A Cultural Heritage Management Plan (CHMP) is required for the Fingerboards Mineral Sands Project under the Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006 Existing Conditions • The preparation of a cultural heritage management plan for an area Assessment involves — Study Area / Geographic Region Existing Conditions a) an assessment of the area to determine the nature of any Preliminary Predictive Model Aboriginal cultural heritage present in the area; and Site Survey b) a written report setting out — Subsurface testing Updated Predictive Model i. the results of the assessment; and Summary ii. conditions to be complied with before, during and after an activity to manage and protect the Aboriginal cultural heritage identified in the assessment • The written report is the cultural heritage management plan • A CHMP (ID 14969) is currently being prepared • Preparation of the CHMP involves consultation with GLaWAC • The CHMP will be evaluated by Aboriginal Victoria 3
EES / CHMP Existing Conditions • The activity area must encompass all proposed activities to be considered by the EES technical report and CHMP. Existing Conditions • The CHMP activity area and EES technical report study area have both been Assessment defined using the mining area boundary and ancillary works including Activity Area / Geographic transport routes, utilities, potential bore-fields, siding areas etc. Region Existing Conditions • The existing conditions within the project activity area were assessed by Preliminary Predictive Model reviewing the activity area’s geographic and environmental context and Site Survey investigating the historical environment and various heritage databases. Subsurface testing o Landform, geology, geomorphology and environment Updated Predictive Model Summary o Heritage register searches o Review of ethnohistorical and historical accounts o Review of regional and local Aboriginal and historical cultural heritage studies o Review of land use history o The existing conditions assessment o Preliminary Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Predictive Model 4
5
EES / CHMP Preliminary Aboriginal cultural heritage predictive model The preliminary model considered eight Aboriginal site types and five environmental datasets; Existing Conditions Assessment Registered Aboriginal cultural heritage places within the model area Activity Area / Geographic 1. Artefact scatters Region 2. Art sites Existing Conditions 3. Ancestral Remains Preliminary Predictive Model 4. Earth features Site Survey 5. Quarries Subsurface testing 6. Scarred trees Updated Predictive Model 7. Shell middens Summary 8. Stone features. Data sets 1. Geology, 2. Geomorphology, 3. Pre-1750 modelled Ecological vegetation classes, 4. Slope, and 5. Distance from water to predict patterns of past landscape use and how these affected the distribution of archaeological remains. 6
Preliminary predictive model – All Site Types 7
EES / CHMP Refining the model: site survey Survey included pedestrian transects investigating the potential for Aboriginal and historical archaeological remains to be present within the study area. The study area was divided into five broad investigation areas (IAs) based on observations in Existing Conditions the field and derived from the principal landforms identified during the conditions Assessment assessment Study Area / Geographic Region o IA 1: Upper Planar Surfaces (Munro Plain) Existing Conditions o IA:2 High Ridges Preliminary Predictive Model o IA 3: Swales Site Survey o IA 4: Streams and floodplains Subsurface testing o IA 5: Alluvial Terraces and fans Updated Predictive Model Summary The previously recorded location of a scarred tree, registered by Aboriginal Victoria in 1979, was inspected during the site survey. A total of 68 stone artefacts were identified within the five investigation areas during site survey. The artefact locations were each identified within areas of soil exposure attributed to ground disturbance. o IA-1 – Upper Planar Surfaces: 53 surface artefacts o IA-2 – High Ridge: 5 surface artefacts o IA-3 – Dune Swale: 1 surface artefact o IA-4 – Streams and floodplains: 4 surface artefacts o IA-5 – Alluvial Terraces and Fans: 5 surface artefacts 8
• . Subsurface testing EES / CHMP A sampling subsurface testing program was conducted in August 2018 and was designed to: Existing Conditions • Establish the presence or absence of subsurface archaeological deposits within Assessment the activity area; Study Area / Geographic Region • Establish a base-line understanding of the Aboriginal cultural heritage Existing Conditions sensitivity of targeted landforms within the activity area for the purpose of Preliminary Predictive Model testing the model Site Survey • Examine the soil profile and general subsurface nature of the area through Subsurface testing controlled excavation; • Updated Predictive Model Collect data on the nature and significance of any cultural deposits identified; • Testing was undertaken through the excavation of a combination of manual Summary and mechanical test pits. 9
• . EES / CHMP Subsurface testing- results A total of 45 test pits were excavated during the subsurface testing programme, comprising five 1x1 m test pits, six mechanical 2x1m test pits, and thirty-four 0.5x0.5m test probes. Existing Conditions Assessment A total of 281 subsurface artefacts were identified within 21 test pits Study Area / Geographic Region Existing Conditions Preliminary Predictive Model Site Survey Investigation Area Surface artefacts identified in survey Subsurface artefact count Subsurface testing Updated Predictive Model IA-1- Upper Planar Surfaces 53 32 Summary 5 IA-2 – High Ridges 186 1 IA-3 – Dune Swales 0 IA-4- Streams and Floodplains 4 2 IA-5-Alluvial terraces and fans 5 61 Total 68 281 10
Updated predictive model – All Site Types 11
• . EES / CHMP Mitigations The following mitigation measures are included in the impact/risk Existing Conditions assessment for cultural heritage values, including; (a) known (i.e. recorded Assessment or registered) Aboriginal and/or historical cultural heritage/archaeological places; (b) places with associated Aboriginal or historical values and/or oral Study Area / Geographic Region tradition; and (c) unidentified cultural heritage/archaeological places or Existing Conditions values and/or oral tradition places that may be present within the study Preliminary Predictive Model area: Site Survey Subsurface testing 1. Continue with the preparation of the CHMP in accordance with the Updated Predictive Model Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006 (Vic) Summary o Further regional studies and field testing o Further testing and refinement of the site predictive model during the CHMP process o Continued consultation with the RAP and regulators 2. Gain approval for the CHMP 3. Comply with all CHMP conditions that may include site-specific and general management conditions to be implemented before the project commences, during the project and after the project has ended (as appropriate) 4. Implement contingency measures (chance finds protocols) that provide clear instructions that must be followed in the event that Aboriginal cultural heritage places or materials are discovered during the construction, operation or decommissioning of the project 12
13
Recommend
More recommend
